What is it about?
In African woodlands, small trees and shrubs beneath the canopy are often ignored in studies. Our research in Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo shows that these understorey plants store a large share of carbon and add greatly to biodiversity, especially in drier areas.
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Why is it important?
By focusing only on large canopy trees, carbon storage in African woodlands is underestimated. Our study reveals that understorey vegetation can contribute up to 40% of woody biomass in dry areas. Including these smaller plants in monitoring and climate policy is essential for accurate carbon accounting and effective conservation.
Perspectives
As researchers, we often celebrate the biggest trees, but our fieldwork reminded me that the smallest stems matter too. In dry Namibian woodlands, I was surprised to see just how much carbon was stored in shrubs and small trees. This work highlights the importance of looking at the whole forest, not only its tallest giants.
hermane Diesse
Namibia University of Science and Technology
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Quantifying unseen woody biomass and diversity in understorey trees and shrubs at the extremes of water availability in the Miombo ecoregion, Forest Ecosystems, August 2025, Tsinghua University Press,
DOI: 10.1016/j.fecs.2025.100302.
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